Downers Grove - Is it the right choice for a Canadian?

[SargonDG]

Just saw your post - this may be a done deal. Here are some quick answers:

1. Does anyone have any info on the Catholic schools in DG? Which are the best?
There are at least two: St. Mary of Gostyn and St. Joseph. Based on the kids I have met from there these two schools are very good. Like many Catholics in DG, however, I send my kids to the public schools. The public schools here are outstanding, and provide better opportunities if your kids are into music, advanced science, or sports.

2. What are the best areas of DG to look? We would like to be relativelty close to the downtown area if possible (walking distance to coffee shop!). We would like a backyard and a quiet street with parks nearby.
You will pay more for houses closer to downtown, but it is worth it. Walking downtown on a summer night is a common neighborhood activity.

3. Is DG a dog-friendly town? Yes, but no dog park yet. The Park District is looking at building one, though.

The comment about the Downers Grove Ice Arena is on target, however there are several other ice arenas in the area (notably Seven Bridges) that have nicer facilities and a lot more programs.

[JustJulia]

I work in Downers Grove and think it's a very pretty town. One of the things I really love about this area is the attempt to preserve lots of forest areas and open space. I'm sure the natives might argue that there's not nearly enough preservation and are sad to see development in areas that might have been woodsy or a prairie, but it is a big change for me, a California girl. I feel so much calmer and happier when I am near lakes and trees.

Anyway, I digress. One place I will warn you about is a road called Butterfield. It is the northern border of Downers Grove and runs parallel to I-88, the big toll road that goes from Chicago through the western suburbs. Highland Ave, Butterfield, 88 and 355 (another toll road, this one running north-south) all intersect in an area that is under heavy construction. Do not try to exit 88 at Highland if you are trying to get to Butterfield. It is an ugly mess.

But other than that, it seems great. Except when you get stuck waiting to cross the train tracks and a train breaks down, which happened the other day. Other than THAT, it's great.

[ngrome]

Downers Grove is a beautiful town. My wife grew up there while I grew up in neighborhing Woodridge. Regarding a church, I liked St. Joseph's when we went there. Since you're Canadian and may get into a little winter sports, you may want to check out Woodridge, as they have a skating rink there as well as a gym and a few small hills to tobaggan or ski down, along Rt. 53.

[Zea mays]

Originally Posted by ngrome

... and a few small hills to tobaggan or ski down, along Rt. 53.

A large hill in Illinois is 30 feet or more; smaller hills are less.

I live in nearby Lisle. Downers Grove is a nice town, middle class I would say. Convenient to downtown via the Burlington. You will like it.

[becoming trees]

With a 14 month old, make sure you check out the Dupage Children's Museum in Naperville! Not far of a drive, and if you hop on the Metra, it's a few stops west. Awesome amazing place for a child that age.
There's lots of kid-stuff in that area. So yes, good choice. =] There are two Metra stops in Downers Grove on the BNSF line downtown. 1 on Main St and one on Fairview Ave (on the edge of downtown DG, next to Pepperidge Farm plant.) If you want/need to live near a station, I advise choosing nearer the Main St stop, as express trains stop there but not at the Fairview station. The Fairview stop is one of those that has limited service, but Main St has full service.

I must ditto the warning to stay away from Butterfield. I do advise staying near the downtown area. Butterfield and the area bordering Lombard is just some sort of epicenter for massive retail development, which means a lot of traffic, especially with two massive tollroads going right through it.
Oak Brook shopping center is also near there and that's just a mess with all the hotels and such. But some good food . . .
I used to have to drive right through there from Naperville to Chicago. ughhhh, sometimes the traffic would be heavier there than within the city limits.
If you're looking to be closer to an expressway, try to be closer to 55 (accessible by Lemont Rd, which turns into Main St in DG and Cass Ave.)
It has bad traffic but no where near as much as 88/290. 55 is a breeze off peak times, and normally has some of the lowest rush hour traffic times. (I grew up right off 55, a bit more south of DG, I drove that at least every other day at random times throughout high school and in college to go visit my family and still now when I go between friends in Chicago and family in the burbs.)

Another reason for Downers Grove = The Morton Arboretum. It's on the border of Lisle and DG, easy to get to, with a childrens garden, and it's beautiful. I miss that place.

edit to add: my mom and her siblings attended St. Joseph's, while it was a while ago, they all liked it, but back then the public system there was pretty bad. I hear it's improved a ton. There's a few other private schools in the area that are not in DG, but I can only seem to think of high schools which you don't have to worry about quite yet.

[jlawrence01]

[quote=TorontoMom;3038871]We currently live in Toronto. My husband is considering a transfer to Chicago within the next couple of months. After much research, we think Downers Grove is a good place for us to move. I'm a stay-at-home mom, we have a 14-month old child and a dog. Our housing budget is 700-800k.

Being from Canada, I'm sure I will have many questions for you all as we get closer to moving. In the meantime, to be sure we are making the right choice, I have these questions:

[\quote]

I don't want to be a smart aleck BUT a RT fare from Toronto City Airport to Chicago-Midway is CAD$235. You could rent a car and try out a variety of neighborhoods like Arlington Heights, Lisle, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, etc. and see what area you like.

In your price range and situation, you have a TON of choices and you'll like Chicago.

[OakBrookMom]

I live right next door to Downers and all my siblings in the area (3) call Downers home. We are a catholic family and we all went to catholic schools in the area but I send my kids to public schools because I have been please with it but many of my neighbors send their kids to Catholic schools so I'll help on your first question. In the downtown area there are two catholic schools north of the train tracks, namely St. Mary's of Gostyn and St. Joseph's, both good schools from what I've heard from neighbors whose children attend that feed into multiple local high schools, one of which is my alma mater: highly rated Benet Academy whose average ACT score (that's the test that all Illinois high school students must take) has been around 28 for the past 4 years which is higher than any public school in the area. Also feeding into that school are many students from Our Lady of Peace on 75th in Darien which many south Downers children attend and St. Joan of Arc in downtown Lisle as well as many other students from other catholic, public and private schools including the gifted school in central Downers, Avery Coonley.
My brothers commute downtown for work and go out of one of the 3 train stations in Downers via Metra downtown and coordinate their schedules for the most part to coincide with express trains which are frequent in the morning and afternoon rush hours and take 25 minutes. Parking at the stations can be challenging and there are wait lists for municipal lots, especially because of the construction at the Belmont station. But with your budget you can find a beautiful home walking distance to one or more of the stations and downtown area (my brother had the same budget last year before the market fell even further and still found what he wanted so you should have no problem). The only thing that Downers lacks that my sibling wish it had which other towns like Western Springs has is an outdoor public pool during the summertime (I personally love Western Springs because of its small town feel compare to Downers or LaGrange - Clarendon Hills is also similar to Western Springs and has a wonderful parish and school called Notre Dame where I attend frequently because of my kids' travel soccer schedules although I'm not a parishioner).
I used to live in Elmhurst which has a number of catholic schools and a 24 minute express train ride into the city. With your budget I would also look at Western Springs whose St. John of the Cross parish is very active as well as LaGrange who has multiple parishes feedling into many catholic high schools. Plus LaGrange has about the best combo of train schedule (less than 20 minutes to downtown express from either LaGrange station) and multiple airport proximity close to both expressways 294 and 55 which gets you to both O'Hare and Midway in decent time frames. There are many, many other options for your family and it may be overwhelming but you should be welcomed warmly in any of those municipal and faith communities. Feel out the different areas, spend time in their city center, partake in an activity, go to church at multiple times, and move where you feel most comfortable - all these towns are wonderful options and they appeal to different buyers, none are right or wrong or best or worst for everyone but there probably will be a right and best place for you.

[ToriaT]

Yes Downers Grove is good. I have many Canadian friends and I have brought them out here to Wheaton which is close to Downers and they have been quite comfortable.